Chapel of Hope Stories

Dear Reader:

Haven’t we heard others and ourselves label someone as being nice enough…perhaps too nice…because he/she always leads with their heart instead of their head? (In the South…this comment is usually followed by a negative “Bless her heart.”)

Perhaps that was true when I had to make decisions more based on finances than what my heart wanted to do (or we would have gone bankrupt)…but now that life has settled down somewhat into a steadier financial cycle…I find myself more and more making decisions from the heart. I have finally reached the stage in life where I can fall back on “divine” intuition.

Over the past few years since the creation of my garden…I have quietly been observing nature more closely and finding myself completely fascinated with what appears to be nature’s built-in compasses and built-in survival kits. Without being taught, nature’s living organisms instinctively understand what to do to survive another day.

The birds at my bird feeder take quick little bites of the birdseed and then fly back in the bushes to see if squirrels or other birds are hovering nearby. If the ‘coast is clear’ the bird returns and repeats the same behavior. I have also noticed that the smaller birds, like the carolina wrens, prefer it if a squirrel or larger bird has dropped bird seed on the ground below the feeder….they feel safer eating on the ground than higher up exposed on a swinging bird feeder.

I can’t help but think that what we call instinct in other animals is the same as our intuition…only theirs is sharper. Since God created everything on earth…animals rely solely on their “divine” instincts and I can’t help but feel jealous of their total confidence in it.

We mortals second-guess our intuitions and decision -making processes. We rely on man and workshops to teach us how to become better decision-makers. Haven’t we, somehow, left God out of the equation?

I remember hearing once that “Intuition is knowing what we know without knowing how we know it.” In a sense it is spontaneous knowledge. Even though it is sometimes referred to as a “gut feeling” it actually relies more on the heart than the gut or head.

Intuition is untarnished from past experiences or even outside influences. It allows us the ability to reason out a decision without explanation or justification. Remarkably, these outcomes usually wind up being our best choices…and usually, our wisest, in hindsight.

So until tomorrow…Let us remember to leave behind our self-imposed ‘over-thinking’ decision-making skills and rely more on our heart than our head. God is in our heart and His Guidance is all we need to make the best choice. We must trust our Divinity within.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Went over to Anne’s yesterday afternoon to drop off a meal so she wouldn’t have to bother cooking or cleaning since she and her friend Susan  flew our early this morning….destination Ireland!

She told me she would send my regards to Fungie when they were in Dingle.

Fungie is at least 30 years old now and still going strong.

While at the house…Anne showed me her new yoga room upstairs….very cool with all the psychedelic accessories!

She also showed me this hilarious quote on long friendships that is worth memorizing.

“Old friends disintegrate together – which enlivens the process” (Pam Brown-1928)

Anne’s first moon flower of the evening had popped out while I was there and it looked like two more were bursting at the seams….they must be trying to tell Anne good-bye with a great send-off. I also love Anne’s Mexican sunflowers…(Reminder to self…add some of these next year to the garden!)

Dear Reader:

Sometimes the best lessons (or perhaps reminders) in life stem from some of the simplest daily rituals.

A few years ago I was walking by a neighbor’s house (a few streets over) as she was just pulling into her driveway. She waved me down and wanted to let me know that she was moving to another part of town to live in a smaller house …since she was the only one left to live in her house permanently. She just didn ‘t need that much room any more.

We started talking and I remember telling her how sorry I was to hear of her mother’s passing. She reminded me her mother was over a 100 years old when she died and she had lived a good life. I remember asking what her secret was and my neighbor promptly replied, “Mother always drank a glass of water first thing in the morning before she did anything else. She always swore by its benefits.”

At that time I was going through my first intensive regiment of chemo and the thought of drinking a glass full of water first thing in the morning made me slightly queasy and I soon forgot about the conversation.

Within the last week, however, I have seen this healthy habit materialize in a medical magazine I was reading and also mentioned on a talk show by a doctor. So I have decided to give it a try. I just started Monday and to date I have been able to keep it up (or perhaps down) okay…and it does help cut down on hunger when your stomach is full of water.

About four months ago my medical nemesis (who visited me once before) returned….sciatica. I remember when I first experienced it (2014 after a long surgery) thinking that none of the cancer medical treatments to date came close to the physical pain that shot down my right leg and foot. Ouch!

Quite honestly, aside from physical exercises to try and stretch the muscles in the lower back, leg, and foot…there is no magical pill that gets rid of it. It was the first time in my life that I experienced something that lowered my quality of life …the first time it hurt to sleep, get up, walk, climb in the car, sit….sciatica is just not fun at all. Almost a year to the day it appeared the first time around…it magically disappeared and didn’t return until recently this year.

Unfortunately it seems to like me so well…it wants to continue making a home with me. This time around…it isn’t as intensively painful but it is annoyingly irritating enough to make me limp on bad days and grit my teeth on others. Every now and then it makes me believe it is subsiding and going away…only to pop back up a few days later. Hopefully I will wake up one morning soon…and it will be gone again permanently. Hallelujah for that day!

In the meantime I feel all “stoved up.” I honestly don’t remember where in the world that old expression popped up…I can’t even remember where I would have heard it except maybe from Grandmother Barbour who suffered with a lot of “stoved up” pain. Old-fashioned or not…that is what I have been feeling lately…all “stoved up.” (a phrase used with the meaning of being stiff, physically unable to move around quickly from pain or sore muscles.)

So this “annoyance” along with a few small side effects from my daily oral chemo made me decide that drinking more water….especially a glass first thing in the morning …could not help but benefit the body and it is small price to pay for a healthier habit.

Every morning as I drink it ….I stop half-way and come up for air…always remembering the well-used adage…about the half-full or half-empty glass of water. Yesterday, however, I read a different ‘take’ on a glass of water which I like and need to be reminded of in my life. It goes like this:

The Weight of the Glass

Once upon a time a psychology professor walked around on a stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students.  As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question.  Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter.  It all depends on how long I hold it.  If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light.  If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little.  If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor.  In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class shook their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water.  Think about them for a while and nothing happens.  Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little.  Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

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How true! I have come to realize if I stay busy and keep up my social/community activities I tend not to concentrate on the sciatica and I experience a much less painful day than when I am at home all day, conscious and  alert to every “ooh” and “ouch!”

So until tomorrow…When we concentrate on others and forget our own concerns don’t our days seem a little brighter, more fulfilled, and less hurtful? So, if you want a two-fold improvement plan, drink all the water from the glass first thing in the morning and the glass “magically” lightens…then concentrate on someone else’s problems and drop your own personal dilemmas.

We can start our day feeling “Light as a feather.”

*And speaking of feathers.…while I was typing away on this blog….we continued having heavy rain showers on and off throughout the day….”Weather fit for a duck” some might even say.

Guess what…I happened to glance outside the window and there marched a mother duck with four or five little ducklings trailing behind her right down my driveway to the back yard. (*I took this picture quickly through the glass window and screen…so it looks rather abstract but I think you can get a glimpse of what I saw.)

I literally ran out to the back yard and somehow the ducks had mysterious disappeared. I was disappointed but when I came back in I realized I had not felt any pain in my right leg while, excitedly, running outside to see the ducks. Concentrate on others and delightful experiences and forget thinking about ourselves…by dropping our problems instead of ruminating on them

*If I could have had just a few seconds to prepare for the unlikely scene of a mother mallard and her little ones marching down my driveway….I could have made a new cover picture for the beloved children’s book “Make Way for Ducklings.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

The history teacher in me wouldn’t let me walk out of Walgreens Tuesday without a copy of this special Time magazine…featuring our Founding Fathers. Before leaving for the July the Fourth family gathering in Mt. Pleasant yesterday afternoon,  I relaxed and read most of the articles in it. (*I confess I am a history nerd.)

Two thoughts jumped out at me (after reading the articles)…two explanations as to how miraculously this country was created. Timing and George Washington...a man adored and revered his entire life. (Unanimously elected President twice…this has never been repeated.)

A man who could have stayed President until his death, but he turned it down and explained why terms should be limited for fear of too much power promoting a dictator or king….exactly what we had fought against.

Stepping down voluntarily from such a powerful leadership role had never happened before….other monarchs, royalty and self-imposed dictators watched (open-mouthed) in true amazement… waiting for some kind of political ploy to reveal itself…it never did. George Washington just went quietly back home to Mt. Vernon…the place he loved the most in the world, and voluntarily disappeared out of the limelight.

*Washington was the “rarest of creatures, the indispensable figure who declared himself disposable.”

“The Founders’ signature achievement, the United States Constitution, is endlessly invoked-most times, one suspects, by people who haven’t read a single word of it, save for scraps of the Second and Fifth amendments. 

The phrase, “What the Founding Fathers intended” rips off the tongues of politicians, pundits, and other partisans, typically adapted for their own purposes and, perhaps, without the faintest notion of-well… what the Founding Fathers really intended.”

Where I, personally, see Divine Intervention, in the creation of the country I love and adore, is in the amazing assembly of talent and intellect, whom we call our Founding Fathers. “The Founders weren’t saints, but they were visionaries who created a radically new form of self-government.” 

What is even more amazing is that this group was made up of aristocratic, educated men, who did believe in a nation where its citizens were allowed the personal freedoms we take so for granted today.

“To be sure they were awesome-in the real sense of the word, a remarkable roster of talent. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, James Madison and a deep bench of other visionary thinkers all at the same time.”

No one could have planned such an assembly of brilliance and forethought…arriving all at the same time in history? Coincidence or a God Wink? “The brilliance of their thought, the creativity of their politics and their ability to combine the two have been without equal.”

(*Just think about the timing here….with the exception of Lincoln…we had only mediocre Presidents in succession following the early Founding Father Presidents….can you imagine a James Buchanan or a Millard Fillmore stepping up to the plate to create a new nation? Timing really is everything!)

As one can only imagine with the Founding Fathers, however…(with such genius in one room)….ego’s ran amuck of many issues. Thankfully, amid this divisiveness,  and fortunately this nation was blessed with a supremely magnetic and unifying figure in the form of George Washington.

“In our cynical and polarized age it’s almost impossible to imagine someone so universally admired.”

Historian Joseph J. Ellis wrote:

“If there was a Mount Olympus in early American history, Washington stood at the top, and all the rest of the founders were scattered further down the slope.”

It was Washington’s “benevolent humility” that made him a magnet and role-model for others to follow…though most have fallen far short.

One last “Washington” thought I will leave everyone with today to ponder…“Washington also believed leaders should hover above petty political squabbles and instead play the long game, eyes only focused on the national interest.”

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“Natural” Decorations for the Fourth!

For me the meaning behind the freedoms bestowed on us…have been reflected in the giving and receiving of gifts from my neighbors. It started with Vickie bringing me the best tomatoes of the season yet…they melted in my mouth! Someone at the club brings them weekly and she received some that were left over and shared with me.

Susan and her young son Davis, rang the doorbell Monday night and Davis had helped his mom make me a little apple tart. It was so sweet…both the giving and the wonderful taste….delicious!

Then Tuesday afternoon I ran over two pre-July the 4th “picnic” plates filled with chicken salad sandwiches, pickles, fruit, chips, and a cookie for Luke and Chelsey, for helping me with  replacing high ceiling recessed light bulbs and nursing some of my ailing plants back to good health.

So until tomorrow…I hope everyone had a wonderful day and took a few minutes to thank those who went before us…and thank those who live beside us!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Memories of July 4 2018! It rained most of the morning but cleared up yesterday afternoon just in time for all the festivities. Another family gathering that puts smiles on a proud grandmother’s face!

Dear Reader:

I decided to forgo any serious, personal commentaries on freedom and our country this Independence Day, but selected instead, humor for this Fourth of July. Sometimes when the times we live in and the images we live with are so emotionally daunting…time taken to be with family, to laugh and love, is exactly what we need. Because in essence, isn’t that why our country was created…at such a high cost of lives…so that we could gather on this special day with the ones we love best to remember the sacrifices of so many… for so many.

When I came across this adorable little anecdote I knew I just had to share it with you today…right now. I hope you enjoy it, re-tell it, and just have a wonderful Fourth of July!

A Parable for the Fourth of July

(Author Unknown)

Once, in the 1820’s, a little boy called Sam was playing in the yard behind his house. During his pretend fighting game, he knocked over the outhouse. 

Now Sam was upset and worried that he would get into trouble so he ran into the woods and didn’t come out until after it gotten dark. When he arrived back home, his pappy was waiting for him.

He asked suspiciously, “Son, did you knock over the outhouse this afternoon?”

“No, pappy,” Sam lied.

“Well, let me tell you a story,” said the father. “Once, not that long ago, a young boy named George Washington, received a shiny new ax from his father.  

Excited, he tried it out on a tree, swiftly cutting it down. But as he looked at the tree, with dismay, he realized it was his mother’s favorite cherry tree.”

His pappy paused. ” Just like you, he ran into the woods. When he returned, his pappy asked, ‘George, did you cut down the cherry tree?’ George answered with, ‘Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did indeed chop down the tree.’ 

Then his father said, ‘Well, since you were honest with me, you are spared from punishment.”I hope you have learned your lesson.” 

“So,” Sam’s father asked again,” did you knock down the outhouse?”

“Pappy, I cannot tell a lie any more.” said the little boy. “I did indeed knock down the outhouse.”

Then his pappy proceeded to spank Sam red, white, and blue.

The boy whimpered, “Pappy, I told you the truth! Why did you spank me?”

Pappy answered, “Because George Washington’s father wasn’t in the tree when he chopped it down!”

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I hope you got a chuckle or two from this story. I, also, love these cartoons and hope they bring a few more laughs today.

I think most of us remember hearing that the Chinese first invented fireworks. But did you know, like so many other inventions, is was by mistake. Apparently they were burning bamboo…when the popping noises first started that would eventually lead into the modern fireworks of today.

You know how much I complain about the vastness of bamboo across the poor little fence, between my rental neighbors and my garden… that is going to cave in any day now under the weight. I keep control of the bamboo popping up daily on my side of the fence but time is definitely not on my side.

I was thinking that if lightning was to accidentally hit that forest of bamboo I would go down in local history as having the biggest fireworks ever in our little town!

So until tomorrow….Father thank you for love and family…for the food we enjoy on special holidays. Let us be ever mindful of the farmers, gardeners, and grocers who make it all possible. Blessings to one and all.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*My garden provided my own red, white, and blue flowers for this special holiday… while a  Summerville antique shop showed us that sometimes the beauty is all in the creative containers.

Some flowers, both inside and out, just stand on their own, no special colors needed…a holiday of simple beauty…free to be gorgeous!

I am heading over to Mandy and John’s for our family picnic gathering…just being with the children and grandchildren is all I need to remind me how blessed I am to live in this country. I pray that we allow others to have this same experience!

P.S. Our neighborhood did get a thunderstorm around mid-afternoon yesterday, the first day of Dog Days.…so I am hoping the Old Farmers Almanac is right…according to their predictions that means we will get a shower every day during the Dog Days season! I wouldn’t have to water all summer! One can only hope!

Dear Reader:

“Canicular” means “of/or relating to the period between early July and early September when hot weather occurs in the Northern Hemisphere.” According to the Old Farmers’ Almanac…’Dog Days’ start today…July 3! After reading the almanac’s predictions… we all need to jump under the covers and hide until they are over!

Personally…I think “canicular” came early this year. It started in early June…not July. The word “canicular” has the word “canine” hidden within it, meaning dog of course. For the ancient civilizations , like Egypt, Rome, and Greece, it was the rising of the Sirius (dog) constellation that brought on the hot, humid, difficult “dog days” of summer.

I found an old Farmer’s Almanac that made some of the ancient peoples’ strange, crazy predictions for this seasonal occurrence pale beside the real “doozies” the almanac stories came up with…See (below) for yourself!

 Dog Days…Legends Abound

“My research revealed some interesting beliefs. The period of dog days, which according to the “Old Farmers Almanac” begins July 3 and ends Aug. 11, is a time during which snakes are blind and will strike at anything. Birds do not sing as much. Because these are the days of the year when there is less rainfall, wells may go dry.

There is a chance of showers each day during dog days which prompts many farmers not to cut hay during this time. This unpredictable forecast is supported by the belief that if it rains the first day of the dog day period, then it will rain each day afterwards.

Sores and wounds are said not to heal during “dog days,” prompting individuals to delay operations and farmers to forego the castration of farm animals. If one walks barefoot through grass in the early morning while it is still wet, they might contract what is known as the “ground itch.” Insects are said to be more plentiful and aggressive during dog days. *(JUST WHAT I NEED!)

Dogs and other animals are said to be more lazy and cantankerous, and in many cases so are humans. In the business world, the “dog days of summer” have found new meaning when referring to the American stock market. Normally, the summer period is a very slow time for the stock market. In addition, poorly performing stocks with little future potential are many times referred to as “dogs.”

When generally speaking of “dog days” there may be a connotation of lying or “dogging” around or being “dog tired” or exhausted on the associated hot and humid days. Regardless of the original source of the phrase “dog days” or their colorful history and legend, they do occur each year, and we all have to endure them.”

(Source: Times-Georgian, “Dog Days Legends Abound”-Terry Taylor)

Maybe we will get lucky since June started off so badly…the ‘dog days’ will be more merciful this summer and not stay in the mid-to high nineties! That’s my prayer and hope….plus my old air-conditioning unit survives the summer!

Dogs, even little ones, love to go boat riding and cool off too during the ‘Dog Days’ of summer. Thanks Kaitlyn for providing earlier pictorial memories of Rudy, Pip, and Atticus!

So until tomorrow….Let us remember nothing on earth is permanent so the ‘dog days of summer’ will come and go. We can do this!

*This picture of Aunt Kaitlyn with little Rutledge just goes to prove how fast time passes.. dog days and little boys!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Dear Reader:

There are still some historical dates that stick in my memory neurons from my “old” teaching days. July 2 is one of them… for two different reasons.

1. July 2 is the real celebration date for the Declaration of Independence.

Independence Day Should Have Been July 2!

July 2, 1776 is the day that the Continental Congress actually voted for independence. John Adams, in his writings, even noted that July 2 would be remembered in the annals of American history and would be marked with fireworks and celebrations. The written Declaration of Independence was dated July 4 but wasn’t actually signed until August 2. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the document, although all were not present on that day in August.

*I remember this information dashed my age-old vision of all the delegates lining up at one time (supposedly on July 4) to sign the declaration. Actually John Trumbull took some creative liberties with his famous painting ingrained in every elementary student’s mind as the place and time of the voting and signing…didn’t happen that way. (But eventually it did get done!) *That is more than we can say today about getting anything done in Congress 🙂

2. July 2 also marks the day that the Susan B. Anthony coin was circulated as the new dollar coin minted from 1979 -1981. Due to its small size (being mistaken for a quarter) the public didn’t take to it and circulation stopped in 1981. With the new golden dollar coin cited to come out in 2000 the Susan B. Anthony was minted again until 1999.

 Susan B. Anthony probably would have liked all the controversy over the smaller dollar coin with her face and name on it. She spent most of her life fighting uphill battles in her attempt to bring suffrage rights to women.

When one visits her home in Rochester, New York…the first room tourists are lead into is the parlor. It was here that she was arrested for trying to vote in the 1872 Presidential Election. (You go girl!)

Her home later became headquarters for the National American Woman Suffrage Association…of which Susan B. Anthony was president.

I feel sure  Susan B. Anthony felt better about being replaced on the silver dollar coin by the larger, thicker gold coin when the emblem on it was of  Sacagawea and her baby. *Another feminist for her time who had to go along with Lewis and Clark on their expedition to give them directions…(We all know men never stop to ask!)

*I will always hold the Susan B. Anthony silver dollar in my special, personal memory box because I have had several students, all winners of the annual SC Scrapbook Contest, tell me they kept their scrapbook, blue ribbon, and Susan B. Anthony silver dollar. It always touches my heart!

So until tomorrow….Think about how every day has an historical story behind it…from some year and somebody in the past…however, more importantly make this day and every day of your life a  ‘top dollar’ day with your face on it!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Anne sent me a photo of her first moon flower of the season that bloomed last night….my blooms still have a ways to go….just gorgeous Anne!

Mollie sent me these photo of her and Eloise dressed up for a bridal shower given for Aunt Whitney! (I told Mollie one picture looks like Eloise is wearing one large bunny ear!:) Cute, cute!

Mandy sent me this picture of Jakie’s newly decorated bedroom…he had outgrown his once crib/ now trundle bed and had been sleeping on the bottom bunk in Eva Cate’s room. He wanted bunk beds too…so he got them and Eva Cate is helping him adjust back to sleeping in his room by sleeping on his top bunk (he’s too little still for that) to keep him in his room at night.

A big challenge! Jakie not only dreams of cars and trucks…he plays with them until he falls asleep. Vroom!!!!! Vroom!!! Vroom!!!! (Now aren’t those soothing sounds to fall asleep to?)

Brooke sent me this adorably cute picture of Caleb (Brooke’s little ‘Boogie Boy”/grandson) His Uncle Henry took him fishing for the first time….a picture for the photo album! What is a July 4 holiday without some fishing thrown in? Cool glasses Caleb!

Dear Reader:

Dear Reader:

It never ceases to amaze me how one quote can send me merrily off into the land of memory stories…my own memories…my own stories.

Yesterday started out so beautifully….with rain! Wonderful, cooling, luscious rain! It was unexpected which made it even better. I wasn’t going to have to fight the flying insect world first thing in the morning while watering the garden. I rolled back over with the sound of distant thunder booming in the background. When I woke up again it was almost nine o-clock and I felt so refreshed!

I dressed and ran lots of errands, ate a delicious vegetable lunch, and finally came home to plop in my favorite lounge chair. That is all I remember until I heard the theme song from ‘A Chef’s Life’ coming on at 4:00 on PBS. I couldn’t believe I had slept for two more hours…but once again I felt so relaxed and refreshed with more gray clouds lingering and distant sounds of thunder rolling.

I could tell, immediately, this was an older episode because Ben and Vivian Knight’s twins were still toddlers and they still hadn’t gotten into their house yet. They had rebuilt their restaurant from the fire but the stress it had taken was still palpable between them…

But then the cameras switched to Ben’s art studio and this rather, stoic, sometimes stern-acting restaurant owner, husband and father revealed a softer, gentler side of him. I had just turned up the volume when I heard Ben say…(about his abstract works of art)…“the more I feel my strokes against the palette…the more comfortable I become in my own skin.”  

This was a rarely seen side of Ben Knight…soft-spoken, content, and “comfortable in his own skin.” I enjoyed watching this side of the power couple restaurant owners. He confessed his disappointment that the restaurant  fire (among other things) had cost him his week off to exhibit in an art show. It was frustrating not to have time to do what he truly loved…to be able to balance both parts of his life.

• This following article gave more insight into Ben’s other life.

“The couple’s restaurant, Chef and The Farmer, put little Kinston, NC (the closest “city” to Deep Run) on the national culinary map, but it wasn’t easy.

“This is an especially labor-intensive business,” Ben said. “And we were trying it in a community that had little resources to support this. For the first couple of years, I was fairly resentful.”

Success, it seems, is a double-edged sword.

Knight had even less free time when the couple became the stars (Knight, somewhat reluctantly) of their own award-winning PBS series, “A Chef’s Life” which gives viewers a transparent look into their lives.

Now that the restaurant is a veritable institution and the couple’s twins, Theo and Florence, are a little older, Knight finally has the free time to paint more.

“I’ve found a better sense of balance,” he said, adding that he’s “very fortunate” to be able to express himself creatively on two fronts – in his art and at the restaurant.

The hectic pace of running a famous restaurant has infiltrated his art – in an unexpected way.

“Our large employee base requires patience,” he said. “I’ve had to learn (that skill), and I think my newer palette reflects patience. The work was much more chaotic before. It’s softer now.”

So, the busier Chef & The Farmer gets, the calmer Knight has to become.”  ( Source: Ben Knight, Contemporary Art; Page Leggett)

I am most comfortable “in my own skin” these days while writing this blog. Like Ben Knight, I never had the time to spend on my creative passion… writing on the level I have now… when the children were small. No doubt there was a lot of pent-up frustration at times over this. All of us have to fight hard and pray the time comes when our creative side is given our full permission to bloom.

I am living out my dreams now….a garden, a blog, creative friends, supportive family…I am blessed beyond measure.

So until tomorrow…As creative children of God…let us remember to live in gratitude for the creativity we have been given. John Milton summed it up quite well when he described the life of grateful, creative people:

 “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”

 *I love this cartoon (Winnie the Pooh) quote because I have come to realize that ‘over-thinking’ is a terrible human condition. It bogs us down mentally, emotionally and intellectually. When we are being creative…at our very best…we have to leave thinking behind and rely on feelings.,,a leap of faith.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

Can you believe it? Here comes July! I am scared to say anything like… it surely can’t get any hotter than June…because I don’t want to put any bad thoughts out into the universe (for it to happen)….and besides this IS the first day of the month….so say “Rabbit” and have a glorious one!

Since we had fun this past week with personal amazing days and not-so amazing days…Carol sent me this “amazingmovement” website.

Dear Reader:

This title photo is a picture of the Great Hall located in Queen Margrethe II’ s Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Today this hall is famous for eleven individually-woven tapestries  that tell the history of Denmark…from the Vikings to the present day…over a 1000 years of history. These extraordinary tapestries were given to Queen Margrethe II on her 50th birthday in 1990 by a collective consortium of Danish businesses as a memorable gift for Denmark’s beloved Queen.

I was so lucky with my Danish Exchange teacher… Benedikte Christensen lived and taught in Copenhagen. We were able to go to ballets, operas, art exhibits, historical museums, boat rides, and wonderful restaurants…besides teaching school.

We even rode over to the palace one day because the queen was leaving on a trip and would wave to the crowd as she went by. So cool!

I remember seeing several spell-binding historical tapestries in Copenhagen. I, also, discovered the Queen, herself, loved weaving tapestries and was quite an artisan at it. (Reason  for the special gift idea for Queen Margrethe’s 50th birthday!)

When I came across this following anecdote about tapestries yesterday, all the memories of my visit to Denmark flooded back. Once again it made me realize that what I was seeing, along with thousands of other tourists, was a lesson in perseverance and perception at the hanging tapestries (sometimes taking decades to complete.)

Most of us never take time to think about what the back of these gigantic tapestries must look like…we have no awareness/interest in the difference between the back and the front of the tapestry. Yet it is in this difference that God teaches us a wonderful lesson about Him.

…“I’ve heard God’s work in our lives compared to the weaving of a tapestry. On one side you see a beautiful, intricate work of art. But if you lift the corner and look on the backside, you find an erratic and chaotic mess of strands. If all you could see were the backside of a tapestry as it was being woven, you would conclude that nothing beautiful was taking shape.

When you flip it and look at it from the front, however, you see that every strand finds its perfect place according to the plan of the artist. One day, God will “flip over” history, and we will see that every strand of our lives was part of a picture God wove together for His glory.”  (Source: Devotionals Daily; J.D. Greear)

So until tomorrow…Everyday God is weaving us into His Tapestry. Some days it looks better than others because it is a work in progress…but God knows exactly how the finished product will look…and, rest assured, it will be beautiful.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

My two baskets of Portulaca (outside my “office” window) bloom at different times of the day because they are situated across the driveway from each other. One gets the morning sun and blooms early while the other stays bloom-less…until the afternoon sun shines down and the second portulaca blooms in its glory too. There is a time for each of us to bloom and there is time for each of us to wait and rest.

In spite of the heat and biting insects I worked hard in the garden yesterday…rearranging patio furniture and plants. I watered twice yesterday, morning and night. (Or I should say between early bites and late bites.)

Everything is “almost” getting ready to bloom….and isn’t the anticipation stage the best? Imagining how it is going to look? I think so! So here are some of the “wanna be” bloomers…just waiting to show off. But first let me show you the deck.

I cleaned out the dead plants from the two large pots on the deck and replaced them with sweet grass. I can hardly wait until fall when they turn that gorgeous shade of pink.

Here come the “Almost” bloomers! First the Cleodendeum Vickie gave me three years ago and this is the first year it is going to bloom! Can hardly wait!

(Almost) Hostas blooms and Confederate roses!

Vickie braved the heat and took a walk yesterday afternoon…she sent me this picture when she got home. What a beautiful magnolia sighting!

Dear Reader:

I think I will always remember the summer of 2018 as the “dappling summer.” It is a summer where we mark our shadows and hunt for tree shadows on sidewalks and walkways to escape the fierce direct rays of the sun. I pray for clouds to gather each afternoon to block the sun’s rays and then pray harder for summer rain storms to cool the parched earth.

Going into Publix the other day… I spotted a little boy (about three or four) walking next to his tall father… while holding hands in the parking lot. Every now and then the son would falter and knock against his dad’s legs. I saw the father stop and rather angrily ask the little boy why he kept bumping into him…the child replied, “Because I am trying to walk in your shadows to stay cool.” 

Yesterday Gin-g took me home with her to show me her beautifully serene, peaceful garden in the back yard. It was early in the afternoon so the shadows were sparse….but suddenly the dappling sun hit this beautiful potted arrangement of Gin-g’s and accelerated its beauty with a contrast of shadows and light.

Everything in the yard was so lovely…I found myself jumping from tree shadows to tree shadows to take different photo sections of the garden.

I have never been so happy for cloud coverage as I have this summer. I honestly can not stay out long in the direct sun…I feel like I am melting from inside out….like a salted slug.

Still staying indoors makes me feel even more sluggish. Perhaps that is why these fun games like “Some days I amaze myself, other days…” is tickling my funnies so much!

I absolutely loved reading your unique responses to the opening clause…Now laugh with me at your own responses, as well as, other readers. Don’t worry about deadlines on this fun game…any time something pops in your head…send it on to me. It is going to be a long hot summer!

“SOME DAYS I AMAZE MYSELF, OTHER DAYS I…”

JO DUFFORD: “Some days I amaze myself, but other days I find myself beginning to worry when my car won’t start, and then I realize my car really shouldn’t respond to my daughter’s car keys!”

CAROL SEAVEY: “Some days I amaze myself, other days I look for my cell phone while talking on it.”

PATTY KNIGHT: “Some days I amaze myself, other days I have to call my lost cellphone using a land line!”

CAROL POOLE: “Some days I amaze myself, other days I remember that the appointment I tried so hard to be on time for is actually next Tuesday!” ( My first clue was when there were no cars in the parking lot.)

MEV SHIEDER: “Some days I amaze myself, other days…I discover the coffee pot in the refrigerator… after searching for it for a refill!”

JODY GREEN: “Some days I amaze myself, other days I discover where the towels went…the trash cupboard next to the washing machine.”

AMBIKA: “Some days I amaze myself, Other days I mostly forget what I wanted to say to the person sitting in front of me (I give a silly blank stare at that person).. 😀😀

ISAIAH 46 MINISTRIES: “Some days I amaze myself, Other days I send myself an email to remember what I plan to do at work or home.”

BEVERLY PARKINSON: “Some days I amaze myself, Other days I always amaze myself when I lock myself out of the house.” (There is a reason for keeping an extra key …out side.)

Thank all of you who participated and if per chance, somehow, I missed your response… please send it to me again…I love reading them!!!

Another fun thing to do is take the inanimate object you are searching for and let it do the talking…give its side of the story. For example…take me and my “lost” sunglasses (which have been sitting on my head the whole time I have thrown pillows and cushions around looking for them.)

The other day I did go back in the bathroom to re-check and happened to glance at the mirror…and there they were…on top of my head…where they had been the entire time. So humiliating!

I started thinking the sunglasses (if they could talk) would probably be saying….

“What is WRONG with that lady? How can I be lost when I am exactly where she placed me (on her head)…never moving an inch the whole time? Me lost…I think not…it is that cra-cra lady that has lost her marbles!” 

So until tomorrow…I must remind myself that we are all made of light…Divine Light. The shadows made from this light are simply there to nudge our memories… remembering that the shadows in our lives can never win out over light…because if light is gone…so are the shadows. We must learn to live in both worlds…they compliment each other.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

     Sunrise                                                       Sunset

Dear Reader:

As I was pulling up lots of pictures depicting both sunrises and sunsets I soon realized I couldn’t tell one from another. These two times of day are so equally beautiful and inspirational that they blend together. We start each day with God’s beautiful painting and end it the same way. One of God’s “little extras” just for us because He loves us.

The popular stanza from the Broadway play (Fiddler on the Roof) ‘s most memorable song is “Sunrise, Sunset.”

Sunrise, sunset

Sunrise, sunset

Swiftly fly the years

One season following another

Laden with happiness and tears

“Laden with happiness and tears.” This line pretty much sums up my emotional state as I type this blog post. Yesterday I attended one of my former student’s funeral- Kelly Morgan Byrd. As I looked at this young woman’s beautiful photo from the obituary I saw (and still see) only an adorable 13-year-old grinning back at me. She loved social studies and was one of my favorite students for her enthusiasm.

It was just a few years ago we re-connected when she wrote me the most tender heart-felt ‘thank you’ for my presence and influence in her life. She, too, had become a teacher. She returned to her own elementary school and taught there for 18 years before a rare form of disease took her life.

We corresponded back and forth following her sweet message to me for quite awhile. So it was a shock when family let me know of her passing. I knew I wanted to tell her mother how special she was to me and the amazing message of thanks she sent me.

As I introduced myself in line…her mother immediately picked up on my name and said, “Becky Dingle….Yes…Kelly still has her Susan B. Anthony silver dollar she won (almost in unison we said) for winning the “South Carolina Scrapbook Contest!”

It was just a moment of remembrance of happier times…but it was all that was needed….one of life’s ‘little extras’…human connection.

I have mentioned several times that I always went home each day from teaching knowing I had learned more from my students than they had from me. This held true Wednesday as I listened to the loving tributes given to Kelly by friends, family, and pastors alike.

The courage and bravery she displayed throughout her illness was amazing…especially at such a young age leaving three young children behind. It was her strong faith that took her home to be with her Heavenly Father.

As we all sang together “Jesus Loves Me”  to end the service… there was no doubt that this powerful love was pulling her home. It seems like I remember a story where the great theologian, C.S. Lewis was asked to sum up the Christian doctrine in as few words as possible and he said, “Jesus loves me.” (It was enough for him and Kelly)

An article by Mae Baber (in a little publication Country Echoes) said this about Archibald Rutledge and “Life’s Extras.”

“ONE OF THE CONSTANTLY enduring joys of living in the wide open spaces is an unbroken horizon as the sun in its glory breaks the hush of early morning. Somehow, there comes the courage and hope that is needed for a new day. Archibald Rutledge brings out this thought in his writing, ‘Neither a day dawning nor a sunset (with all its attendant beauty) is really a necessity. It is one of life’s extras. It is a visit to an incomparable art gallery; and no one has to pay an admission fee!’

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 So until tomorrow…“How solemnly true the fact that the best things in life are free; yet how little we avail ourselves of these best things. Have you ever considered how often we fail to take advantage of watching a sunrise or a sunset when many, many clear days they are there for our inspiration and our enjoyment. We let slip away the opportunity too frequently to do some pleasurable task that might have far-reaching consequences. We fill so much of our time doing tasks that will have to be redone again another day.” (Mae Baber)

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

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***I LOVED all your responses to SOME DAYS I DO AMAZING THINGS, OTHER DAYS…

I laughed and laughed! Tomorrow I will share your hilarious responses on the blog post. It couldn’t have come at a better time yesterday…to remind me that sunrises and sunsets truly are equally beautiful…just like tears from sorrow and laughter can mingle simultaneously.

*Yesterday was a special day for Kristen Gault, Patty and Robert Knight’s daughter…it was her birthday and she wanted to spend it at St. Jude’s Chapel of Hope. Her precious little son completed the foursome. They found the chapel, which is no small feat of victory and took these wonderful photos.

Patty said they met another sweet couple there…that always makes the trip more special. Patty left a memorable  note behind to remember their visit. Thank you Patty…so glad you felt the presence of love that I always have there.

Honey and Mike were at a wedding this past week and look...’Oh so good!’

I have now visited the Chapel of Hope in every season except winter…I would love to see it in the snow…improbable encounter…but not impossible!